Assembly apparatus for covered buttons



Dec. 29, 1970 K. HUMB EL ASSEMBLY APPARATUS FOR COVERED BUTTONS Filed April 18, 1968 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,550,483 ASSEMBLY APPARATUS FOR COVERED BUTTONS Kaspar Humbel, Uetikon am See, Zurich, Switzerland Filed Apr. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 722,242 Int. Cl. D04rl 7/04 US. Cl. 795 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The apparatus comprises a press body rising from a base which carries two spaced members. The first member is a loader which receives a button-covering piece which may be of fabric and above a button cup. The second member is a die which receives a second button cup which generally has a projecting eye. A cylindrical casing on the press body has within it a spring-engaged plunger assembly and at its lower end the latter carires a head with two spaced and alike die-pressure members. A lever-handle at the top of the press body enables down movement of the plunger assembly against the action of its string. A sleeve forming part of the plunger assembly has a cam groove entered by a stud carried by the casing. When the handlelever is pulled down the plunger assembly with its head is first rotated 90 and into pick-up engagement position and engagement with the loader. In its up-movement the appropriate one die-pressure member picks up the button covering piece with the button cup on it, and is moved 90 toward the die. On the second downward movement said first die-pressure member is moved 90 into register with the die and thereon to effect final assembly of the button elements. Finally, on its up movement, the finished button is automatically discharged and the second die-pressure member picks up another button-covering piece with a button cup thereon for action as hereinbefore stated. The button-covering pieces and the button cups are manually placed in position for the foregoing action.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of the apparatus, certain elements being shown in section.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section, extending through the casing 2 and the elements contained therein.

FIG. 4 is a developed projection in fiat of the cam groove in member 16 of the plunger assembly.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the assembly die taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the leader die taken on the line 66 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen the apparatus comprises a press body 1, rising from a base 9 which carries two mutually spaced members 12. and 13. Member 12 is what I term the loader, and it receives a covering piece such as a round, fiat piece of flexible fabric, and below the covering piece is placed a button cup 25. Member 13 is a die for final assembly of the button elements, and as shown in sectional view in FIG. 2 it receives a second button cup, shown as having a projecting eye, and adapted for assembly with cup and the covering piece.

A cylindrical casing on the press body 1, and shown at 2, has within it a spring-engaged plunger assembly consisting of plunger rod 3, the latter having a shoulder bearing in the top of a short sleeve 3 which in turn bears upon a long sleeve 16. Set into the lower end of long sleeve 16 is a carrier plate which is held in connection with plunger rod 3 by a bolt 6". Carrier plate 6 holds in spaced relationship spaced apertured sleeves 7 and 8 which carry two like die-pressure members which are adapted to act as pick-ups for transfer of a piece of covering material with a button cup thereon to the die 13.

It will be seen from FIG. 3 that the spring 17 acts to normally hold the plunger assembly in up position by engagement with the flange on the top of the short sleeve 3 which in turn abuts a shoulder shOWn on plunger-rod 3. The long sleeve has an exterior cam-groove in the form shown in FIG. 4, and for a purpose hereinafter explained.

The plunger assembly is forced downwardly by a manually-operated handle-lever 4 carried at its lower end in a yoke the arms of which embrace a riser-extension of plunger rod 3 and are held thereto by rivet 26, which may more properly be termed a pivot stud. Links 5 are pivoted to the lower part of yoke 5 and at their opposite ends to the top of the press body 1.

The cam groove in the long sleeve 16 of the plunger assembly and in accordance with FIG. 4 at 18, receives a fixed stud 19, FIG. 3. The calm groove is such that when the handle-lever is pulled down the plunger assembly is rotated and the spring impelled rise of the plunger assembly effects a further partial rotation thereof a second 90 in. the same direction. The two partial rotations are effected during the rise of carrier plate 6 and the two die-pressure and pick-up members 7 and 8 and during the descent of said members. It will be noted from FIGS. 1 and 2, that each of the apertured sleeves 7 and 8 receive freely movable pins 20 the ends of which are normally upset or enlarged so that they will not fall out. On the exterior of the press body is a rib 21 which is positioned above die 13, so that as an assembly of the button elements has been effected in die 13 and the plunger assembly rises, the assembled button will be ejected by contact of the appropriate pin 20 with said rib.

To guard against the application of over normal pressure in the die action handle-lever is shown in FIG. 1 with a stop stud 28 which may be threaded in yoke 5 for adjustment, although this is a matter of unnecessary caution in [most cases, and hence is omitted from FIG. 2.

In the operation of the apparatus, a button covering piece is placed in loader 12 on top of a button cup first inserted. The second cup of the button is inserted in die 13. By pressing down handle-lever 4 the covering piece and the first button cup are pressed into the descended appropriate die pressure member 7 or 8 as the case may be. The return of the handle-lever rotates the plunger assembly 90 bringing the members 7 and 8 to the position of FIG. 1, causing in accordance with that figure, ejection of an assembled covered button from member 8 by engagement of pin 20 with rib 6. The loader 12 and the die 13 are again ready to receive the button parts.

Having described my invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made in the form of the elements constituting the embodiment illustrated, without departing from the spirit of the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by letters patent being as follows:

1. Apparatus for assembling covered button elements consisting of two button cup members and a flexible covering piece, comprising a press body having a cylindrical casing, plunger means in the casing, means for imparting reversely directed throws of the plunger means, two spaced and alike die pressure members carried by the plunger means and each adapted as a pick-up carrier for button-forming elements, a forming die adapted to receive one of the button cup 'rnembers preliminary to final assembly of the button cup members, a loader die adapted to receive the second of the two button cup members and also the covering piece, means applied to the plunger means for imparting a partial rotation of the latter during each of its reversely directed throws and in one throw bringing one die pressure member into register and into contact with the loader die and the second die pressure member into register and in contact with the forming die, and in the reverse throw moving the die pressure members away from the forming die and loader die thereby exposing them for loading, said means for imparting partial rotation movements to the plunger means comprising a continuous carn groove and a fixed stud therein, one of said two last named elements being carried by the casing and the second element being carried by the plunger means and adapted to impart step-by-step 90 rotation of the plunger means in the same direction, as the plunger means is reciprocated in reversely directed throws, and in each throw.

2. Apparatus for assembling covered button elements, constructed in accordance with claim 1, in which the means for imparting partial rotation to the plunger means, in each of the reverse throws thereof, comprises a lever device for imparting one of said throws and spring means for imparting a reverse throw, the continuous cam groove being formed in the outer wall area of the plunger means and the fixed stud therein being held by the casing,

and the continuous cam groove comprising two spaced vertical grooves each merging into two reverselyinclined grooves, said reversely-inclined grooves leading one into another at their ends below the said vertical grooves, and adapted to rotate the plunger means about 90 degrees in each of said throws thereof.

3. Apparatus for assembling covered button elements, constructed in accordance with claim 1, in which each of the die pressure members carries a free-movement ejection pin in its button-element receiving area, and means in the path of a throw of the plunger means for actuating said ejection pin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6631860 12/1900 Byrne 795 1,016,441 2/1912 Renschak 795 l,682,30l 8/1928 Menkin 79'5 GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, 111., Primary Examiner 

